RotoGraphs: Ricky Nolasco‘s adjustments have made him closer to the real deal than not.

So it seems here that Nolasco’s year is something close to being “for real,” and while the move to Los Angeles has certainly helped, it’s not the only reason, because he was already doing better in the relative obscurity of Miami prior to the trade. Whether you put it on pitch selection, release point, good luck (you can’t completely ignore that BABIP) or some combination of all of it, Nolasco is on more than a simple hot streak.

3 years/$36 million is about the projection right now, but if he performs in the playoffs, who knows?

True Blue LA: Prospects Zach Lee and Scott Schebler were named minor league pitcher and player of the year.

MLB.com: A-Gon is the Dodgers’ nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award.

The Roberto Clemente Award, presented during the World Series, pays tribute to the namesake’s achievements and character by recognizing current players who truly understand the value of helping others. Clemente, a 15-time All-Star and Hall of Famer, died in a plane crash on New Year’s Eve 1972 while attempting to deliver supplies to earthquake victims in Nicaragua.

American League nominees include Adam Jones of the Orioles, Craig Breslow of the Red Sox, Hector Santiago of the White Sox, Justin Masterson of the Indians, Miguel Cabrera of the Tigers, Jose Altuve of the Astros, Billy Butler of the Royals, Jered Weaver of the Angels, Justin Morneau of the Twins, David Robertson of the Yankees, Sean Doolittle of the A’s, Raul Ibanez of the Mariners, David Price of the Rays and J.P. Arencibia of the Blue Jays.

National League nominees include Aaron Hill of the D-backs, Tim Hudson of the Braves, Anthony Rizzo of the Cubs, Bronson Arroyo of the Reds, Todd Helton of the Rockies, Adrian Gonzalez of the Dodgers, Logan Morrison of the Marlins, Jonathan Lucroy of the Brewers, David Wright of the Mets, Chase Utley of the Phillies, Andrew McCutchen of the Pirates, Carlos Beltran of the Cardinals, Mark Kotsay of the Padres, Barry Zito of the Giants and Ryan Zimmerman of the Nationals.

MLB Trade Rumors: The Dodgers are scouting Masahiro Tanaka, but the MLB/NPB posting system may not be the same this time around.

One of the proposals for a new system would have as many as three teams chosen among the top bidders, with the Japanese player then allowed to choose the club he’d prefer to play for and negotiate with. MLB declined to comment, but senior VP for baseball operations Kim Ng acknowledged that they have talked with Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) about the issues involving the posting process.

The rumored changes could benefit all parties involves. The player, of course, would get the freedom to choose between three clubs rather than being led to just one. Meanwhile, the new system would prevent an MLB team from placing the winning bid for the sole purpose of blocking other clubs without the intention of signing the player. Closing that loophole would benefit both MLB and NPB.

HardballTalk: There may be a major change in how Cuba deals with its athletes.

The Cuban Government’s anouncemnt thru GRANMA (the official newspaper of Cuba’s Communist Party) says that athletes will be able to sign contracts abroad as long as they “fulfill their obligations at home.” Said obligations were characterized thusly: ”It will be taken into account that they are in Cuba for the fundamental competitions of the year.” This suggests that Cuban athletes will still be required to play for the national team and tournaments.

Something to get excited about, but details, details, details.

Baseball America: On a related note, the Mexican League are apparently already negotiating with the Cuban government.

Mexican League officials are in discussions with the Cuban government to import top Cuban players to play in the Mexican League next season. Those players, Baseball America has learned, would play in Cuba’s top league, Serie Nacional, during the winter, then could play in Mexico during the spring and summer.

More meetings are expected to occur within the next month to hammer out the mechanics of how Cuban players could be brought to the Mexican League, whose teams are not affiliated with major league organizations, even while the league is technically a member of Minor League Baseball.